Kamen Rider Pikarigaoka
by Cure Black RX
Summary: When visiting Hime Shirayuki's parents in the Blue Sky Kingdom, the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure find the place infested with feral creatures called Inves! It seems another crisis has befallen our heroines! Together they fight, along with their friend Seiji Sagara, who will become the Armored Rider Pikarigaoka!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

**Disclaimers: _Kamen Rider Gaim_ and _Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!_ are both the property of the Toei Company Ltd.. All associated characters belong to Toei as well.**

**I am not familiar with Japanese geography, so if choosing Osaka as a location for an alibi was somehow a terrible idea, then I apologize.**

**I am also not familiar with what social work actually entails, so if you are a social worker who feels that your line of work has been grossly misrepresented in any way, then I apologize as well.**

**Expect this to be updated about as often as _A Song of Ice and Fire_.**

It was a fairly typical scene at the Aino apartment. After a long week of school, Megumi was ready to relax and have dinner with her mother, Kaori, who always seemed to be in better spirits with each passing day. Seiji Sagara and his little sister, Mao, were there, of course, as their mother had gone on yet another business trip. It was Friday, so she wouldn't be back until late at night on Sunday.

"Are you excited about our trip tomorrow?" Megumi asked Seiji. Said camping trip was something that the two had been planning for weeks, along with their friends Hime Shirayuki, Yuko Omori, and Iona Hikawa. It is also worth mentioning that "trip" in this case actually meant a journey to another world, but as two civilians were currently in the dining room, that couldn't be mentioned casually.

"Yes, of course." Seiji replied nonchalantly. He seemed more interested in wolfing down everything on the table faster than humanly possible. This was one of the many things that Megumi liked about Seiji, but she kept that to herself.

"So, where exactly are you two going?" Kaori asked.

"Oh! Er…" Megumi paused. She just realized that she had never actually thought about what she would tell her mother if she had asked that question. Thinking these things through was never one of her strong points.

Seiji swallowed and said calmly, "We're going to Osaka to visit Hime's aunt and uncle. They're going to pick us up at her place." This wasn't far from the truth, actually. They WERE in fact going to see relatives of Hime's. But not her aunt and uncle, and in a place much farther away than Osaka. More specifically, they were going to see Hime's parents in the Blue Sky Kingdom.

"Oh, I see." Kaori replied. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever met Hime's parents. Is she alright?" (Megumi nearly choked on her rice when her mother said this, though thankfully no one noticed except Seiji).

"They're in America," Seiji quickly responded. "Hime's living with her cousin right now." In this case, "cousin" actually meant Hime's fairy partner, Ribbon. "And her cousin is pretty busy with school and stuff, so she's not exactly in a sociable mood at the moment." Seiji knew that this was a pretty paper-thin lie; he and Megumi both secretly prayed that Ribbon had a human form, like another fairy friend of theirs, PhanPhan, so that she could pass as Hime's "cousin" if the need ever arose.

Kaori just stared at Seiji blankly for what seemed like hours. Finally she smiled again and said, "I see. Well, if you see this cousin of hers again, tell her that studying too much isn't good for her health." Megumi sighed. She and Seiji looked at each other for a moment, and both smiled a little, though only they could see it. Megumi hated lying to her mother like this, but if anyone figured out the truth about her and her friends, her life would become that much more complicated. That was where Seiji came in. _Seiji, you are ever so reliable_, Megumi thought to herself. She was lucky to have a friend like him.

"Wow. Hime's parents in America," Mao mused. "It makes me think big brother and I are lucky that mom is actually with us half of the time."

"Doesn't it?" Kaori continued, "And speaking of your mother, you never did tell us, where exactly is she going this weekend?"

Seiji responded again, "I believe she said she was going to Zawame City …"

Mitzusane Kureshima, known to his friends as Micchy, could not find much occasion to dance in recent days. Of course, the fact that his hometown of Zawame City was still recovering from the devastation of the events of the previous year was enough to get most to lose their spirits, but while most of the city's youth were able to keep hope alive through recreational dancing, Micchy bore a much greater burden than anyone else. In addition to the events themselves, Micchy also had to live with the fact that he had betrayed his friends, his brother, and the girl he loved, and ended up with nothing to show for it except a ruined city and his two best friends gone to a distant planet, presumably never to return.

As if this wasn't enough, the one thing that he could do that nobody else could, which was transform into the Armored Rider Ryugen through the use of his Sengoku Driver, was not an action which was particularly useful now that all the Inves that had previously terrorized the populace were gone. Once again, his only option was to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Takatora, the fate that he had so wanted to avoid. Micchy didn't see how he could ever hope again, since his actions only seemed to bring misery to everyone, himself especially.

"Remember to dress nicely for the meeting tomorrow," Takatora commanded. "We may be struggling, but we must not let the outside world forget that we still have our pride." _Easy for you to say_, Micchy thought. But he did as he was told; any time that he was doing just that was the only time anything seemed to go right for him.

The next morning, the Yggadrasil Corporation met with a social worker from Pikarigaoka. Takatora discussed the renovation effort of Zawame City with Hiroko Sagara, who would arrange to provide Zawame with precious resources such as food, construction workers and nurses. Once again, all Micchy did was watch and listen.

After the meeting, Hiroko decided a snack would do her good, and so settled herself down in Charmant, the pastry shop owned by Oren Pierre Alfonzo. "Ah, an outside visitor!" Oren stated in his typical overblown manner. "We don't see too many of those nowadays! One does miss the wonder of a fresh new face!" While saying all this, Oren made a bunch of elaborate hand gestures that a mime would find excessive. A bemused Hiroko placed her order, paid her cash, and sat down outside to eat. In order to keep his first new customer since the great Helheim disaster company, Oren joined her.

"So where are you from, my lovely lady, and what brings you to a dump such as this city?" Oren asked.

"I'm from Pikarigaoka, a city south of here," Hiroko replied. "I'm a social worker, and I just got finished with a meeting discussing this city's future."

"Ah! I see!" Oren exclaimed. "It's wonderful to see that some people in this world really do care!" Oren said this while raising his arms like a Shakespearean actor.

Hiroko laughed a little to herself again. She liked this strange man. If anything, he had certainly given her something to tell Seiji and Mao when she returned to Pikarigaoka.

"Would you like some water with that, Miss?" Another voice sounded. Hiroko nodded and responded, "Yes, please." A comparatively solemn-faced young boy wearing glasses complied and poured a glass of water for Hiroko.

"Ah, yes! You haven't met my apprentice! This is Junouchi Hideyasu!" Oren patted Junouchi on the back as he introduced him.

"Thank you for visiting, madame," Jounichi bowed, and left to attend to other affairs.

"Oh, what a polite young man he is!" Hiroko smiled again.

"Yes, it does seem that the older you get, the less considerate you become," Oren mused. "Why, without the youth of this city keeping our hopes up, I don't think any of us could have made it through."

He gestured across the street, where a sizeable number of adolescents were partaking in a break dance regimen. Unlike almost every other face that Hiroko had seen at Zawame so far, theirs seemed positively bright and cheerful. "As I've always said, never underestimate the power of smiling youngsters!"

Hiroko nodded, "You're not doing so bad yourself, you know."

Oren beamed, and dramatically flipped the scarf he was wearing behind his back. "Why yes, I do know that!" he proclaimed.

Hiroko laughed. "Those kids really remind me of the Pretty Cure all over the world, keeping hope alive against the Saiarks," she said.

"Ah… what is this Pretty Cure of which you speak?" Oren inquired, "Pardon my ignorance, but outside news has flown past Zawame in the past few months."

"Oh, of course!" Hiroko answered, "They're a group of girls with all sorts of amazing powers. Recently there was an invasion from an outside force called the Phantom Empire. They were ruthless in their determination to destroy everyone's happiness, but the Pretty Cure were always there to save everyone until the end."

"Is that so?" Oren struck up an exaggerated thinking pose now, complete with fingers stroking his chin, "I used to be a powered individual myself, you know!"

And so the two continued conversing, with Oren elaborating on his exploits with the Armored Riders and his role in stopping the Helheim invasion, which was substantially larger in his imagination than in reality. Hiroko, in turn, talked about the Pretty Cure, and their bravery in facing off the invasion from the Phantom Empire.

"And the best part is, Japan's Pretty Cure team, the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure, is right where I live, in Pikarigaoka!" Hiroko felt more relaxed than she had been in months. She was glad that she had decided to have a bite at Charmant.

Meanwhile, Junouchi was refilling the coffee of the mysterious man wearing a fedora in such a manner that most of his face was covered in shadow. He had crept in shortly after Hiroko had, and Junouchi was serving him, although he only seemed interested in staring at his newspaper, which Junouchi had noticed was actually from last week.

When Junouchi had left to get more coffee, the mysterious figure peered over the top of his paper at the lively conversation occurring at the table on the far side. The mention of the Happiness Charge Pretty Cure had intrigued him…


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

_**Kamen Rider Gaim, Happiness Charge Pretty Cure!**_** and all associated characters are owned by Toei.**

"So, tell me, why am I the one carrying this?" Seiji inquired as he lugged around two large bags that Hime had forced on him.

"Because it's too heavy for Ribbon!" Hime Shirayuki responded matter-of-factly. Her fairy partner nodded in agreement.

"Ah, I see. That makes perfect sense," Seiji sarcastically shot back, looking at the others, who were only carrying what was on their backs when they had arrived at Hime's house. "PhanPhan seems to be doing just fine with Omori's cooking utensils."

"Stop trying to weasel out of it and just carry the clothes!" Hime was getting pouty again, something no one present wanted to witness.

"Clothes!? All that's in here are clothes?" Seiji was about to be pushed to the breaking point again, something Hime was particularly proficient in.

"Well, I need to show my mom and dad the new cultural items I picked up from Earth!" Hime once again responded as though her strange logic were intuitive.

Seiji, Hime, Megumi, Yuko Omori, Iona Hikawa, and their fairy friends Ribbon, Glasan, and PhanPhan had used the hallway of mirrors in Hime's mansion to transport themselves to the Blue Sky Kingdom, headed towards the still distant castle towering over the seemingly never ending lush green forest surrounding it.

"_We are visiting Hime's folks, we are visiting Hime's folks!"_ Megumi continued in her usual habit of singing whatever was currently going on. She was doing it far more frequently these days.

"Come on, now, Hime!" Iona commanded in her authoritative tone, "No slouching! You do want to see your mother and father again, right?"

_Yeah, you're not the one carrying pounds of designed fabric on your back!_ Seiji thought to himself.

"That's right! If we keep at this pace, it'll be dark before we can get there!" Iona's fairy partner, Glasan, added.

"Well, if Hime needs an energy boost, I've got just the thing!" Yuko removed a yellow sphere of sweetness from her pocket, "Hime, could you use a honey candy right about now?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" Hime's face suddenly lit up as if it actually were just bathed in honey.

The mood diffused considerably after that. Yuko's presence always seemed to have that kind of effect.

An hour later, the group decided to stop for a lunch break. Yuko was as well-prepared for the occasion as expected, having packed more than enough lunch specials from her family's store for the whole group to be satisfied.

"So, Hime, what are your parents really like?" Megumi asked. She had met them briefly on one occasion, but not enough so as to remove the need to ask that question.

"Well, my mom is always scolding me, and is always on my case about manners and stuff," Hime started, "But she's very sweet, too!" Hime's face started to shift into a position of fond nostalgia. "And my dad, well, this one time all three of us sent sightseeing, and then there was this tiny bird that wouldn't stop hovering over him…"

The others laughed over the tale of how Hime's father had tried to get rid of the bird before becoming practically obsessed with it.

"And when [insert name here]'s mother finally found him, dad started bawling like a big baby!" Hime finished. By this time, everyone was just about done with their meal.

"I know! We should finish off with some fruit that grows here!" Hime exclaimed excitedly, "Seiji, come with me!" Seiji was about to question why him, but at this point decided not to bother anymore. He simply sighed and started following her.

"Hm, now where is it?" Hime asked herself as she continued leading Seiji back and forth throughout the forest. "I know it grows around here somewhere!"

"You know, you don't have to be so single-minded about dessert," Seiji piped in. "I mean, couldn't we just settle for these?" He pointed out some strangely shaped purple fruits that seemed to be ubiquitous.

"What are you in such a hurry for?" Hime grinned. "You want to see Megumi again, don't you?" Seiji straightened his slouched back a bit. "Yes, even being apart from his beloved Megumi Aino for more than 5 minutes is enough to bring the mighty Seiji Sagara down to his knees!"

"Please stop that," Seiji said somewhat stiffly. "Are these purple fruits poisonous or something? Is there any reason why they won't do?"

"I don't know! I've never even seen those before!" Hime shouted back.

"What do you mean by that?" Seiji asked. "These things are everywhere!"

"That's weird. These fruits don't seem to be from around these parts…" Hime was suddenly interrupted by a gray, feral-looking creature which had popped in out of nowhere right in front of her. Hime screamed as Seiji ran up to the creature, throwing the full force of his body at it and knocking it aside. As Seiji and the creature tumbled off to the side, two more such creatures took their place and approached Hime, who proceeded to hold up her PreChanMirror, as well as her trusty PreCards.

"Kawarunrun! Pretty Cure Kururin Mirror Change!" Hime shouted, whilst inserting her standard PreCard into her PreChanMirror instigating her transformation sequence.

"The blue wind dancing in the sky! Cure Princess!"

Cure Princess faced her challengers, a look of fierce determination now on her face. As the two creatures advanced, arms extended, she leaped into the air.

"Princess Bullet Machine Gun!" Princess yelled as she pumped her fists in the direction of her attackers in rapid succession, releasing endless jets of blue energy at them.

"What was that?" Iona inquired back with the others. Cure Princess' rather extravagant fighting style lent itself well to being noticed from a distance.

"It sounds like there's some fight going on!" Ribbon said worriedly, "Did Hime transform into Cure Princess? What could Hime need to transform for at a time like this!?"

"Quick, girls! We have to join up with her!" Megumi declared, holding up her PreChanMirror and PreCards. Yuko and Iona nodded, holding up their transformation devices as well.

"The big love spreading throughout the world! Cure Lovely!"

"The light of life flourishing on the Earth! Cure Honey!"

"The star of hope that glitters in the night sky! Cure Fortune!"

Almost amusingly undeterred by the merciless barrage of magical energy directed at them, the two creatures continued to advance on Cure Princess. One swiped its arm wildly at Princess, who deftly dodged and kicked it into its partner, sending them both tumbling like a big ball towards the trees.

"Lovely Punch!" A welcome voice was heard shouting, followed by a sudden large burst of pink energy, causing the two tormentors to explode on impact.

"Princess! Are you alright?!" Cure Lovely ran hurriedly over to Cure Princess, relieved to see that she was unharmed.

"Yes, I'm fine," Cure Princess responded.

"What were those things?" Cure Fortune inquired. "Do any you three know?" She gestured to Ribbon, Glasan, and PhanPhan, who each shook their heads.

"Oh! Seiji was fighting one, too! I think they took off in that direction!" Cure Princess pointed to the area where she saw Seiji last. Nothing was there, only more trees.

"Really?!" Cure Lovely's eyes went wide. "Then we have to look for him! Seiji! Seiji! Where are you?!"

"I… I'm sorry," Cure Princess' face fell. "I dragged him along into this."

"Don't blame yourself, Hime," Cure Fortune said, "It's not your fault that these things are running amuck here."

"Sagara would have done it for any one of us," Cure Honey reassured Cure Princess. Princess just nodded lightly.

"SEIJI! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Both Lovely and Princess shouted as loud as they could.

Seiji Sagara opened his eyes. He got up and took a good look at his surroundings. He was in a cave, his friends nowhere in sight.

"So you're awake." A rather jovial voice sounded from behind him.

Seiji turned around. The man he saw had a bright smile on his face. He was wearing piece of cloth around his head, with a pair of sunglasses rested on it, above his eyes.

"Did you save me back there?" Seiji asked.

"That, I did." The mysterious man responded.

"Where am I?" Seiji continued. "Am I even still in Blue Sky Kingdom?"

"Yes, you are," the man answered. "I've been here for some time now. And unless you measure up to what I've just seen, I may be here for a very long time to come."

"Um… okay," Seiji said. "Listen, I was here with four girls, and when I was last with them one of them was being attacked by that creature that you saved me from. I'm sure she's fine now, but I have to make sure. Could you please tell me where you first picked me up?"

"Do you really care about the girl who you were protecting?" the man asked.

"Well, yeah, but I kinda need to be with her right now, so would you mind answering my question?"

"Amazing. Simply amazing."

"What is?" The man was starting to get on Seiji's nerves.

"You are so much like another boy I used to know," the mystery man continued. "What's your name, child?"

"Sagara. Seiji Sagara. Now will you please help me already?"

"Sagara? That's a nice name. I've grown quite attached to it recently." The man was reaching into his pocket now.

"Do you know what this is?" The man held out what appeared to be a lock, but shaped like a peach. "This is called a Lockseed. I like to think of its design as a metaphor for someone like you: bright, full of potential, but in need of that one catalyst to fully realize your true capabilities."

"That's wonderful, but I really need to…"

The man interrupted Seiji while holding up an intricate black belt, containing a Lockseed-shaped hole in the center. "And that catalyst is this. With these two items, you will become much stronger than you ever knew you could be." He held out the Lockseed and the belt towards Seiji.

"Stronger… than I knew I could be…" Seiji mused.

"Take these, and you won't have to experience times like these again."

Seiji paused. "Why should I trust you?" he asked.

The man laughed. He then shoved the items into Seiji's hands, while saying, "Because I'm about to answer your question."

Suddenly the world seemed to fade to white. After a few seconds, everything was back in focus, and Seiji was in a different location.

"Seiji! Oh my god, Seiji!" Megumi suddenly hugged Seiji from behind. "Seiji, where have you been? I thought you might have…"

"Well, I'm fine now, so no need to worry," Seiji smiled.

"I'm always worried about you, Seiji," Megumi replied, hugging him even more tightly.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Hime exclaimed behind them.

"All's well that ends well, right?" Yuko entered the scene as well.

"Not quite," Iona piped in. "It seems that these creatures are not from this world. And we don't know when they arrived. What if your parents don't know about them? They'd be caught off guard."

"You're right!" Hime shouted. "We have to go to the castle now!"

"Don't do anything reckless again, Seiji," said Megumi.

"You should talk," Seiji shot back.

"And what are those things you're holding?" Iona asked.

Seiji had almost forgotten he was even holding the Lockseed and the strange belt. "These?" he started. "I don't even know myself. But I suppose if I had to do something reckless, then they'll come in handy."

"Then we'll just make sure that you don't use them," Megumi stated firmly.

And so the five teenagers and their fairy friends started to run at top speed towards their destination, wary of what lay in store for them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

_**Kamen Rider Gaim, **__**HappinessCharge Pretty Cure!**_** and all associated characters are owned by Toei.**

**All previously unassociated characters are owned by me :P**

**This will likely be the last time I explicitly use the "Lock on" announcer or any other henshin catchphrases. From now on, I will probably merely state "he transformed" or whatever.**

Almost everyone who lived in the Blue Sky Kingdom was currently gathered in the halls of the magnificent castle in the center of the surrounding forest. For them, today was a festive occasion, but for none more so than the king and queen, who were going to see their daughter again for the first time in months. The lavish hallways were decorated with the finest embellishments, and the tables all covered with the finest refreshments.

"Is everything ready, Geoffrey?" The King of the Blue Sky Kingdom asked his most trusted servant, a rather handsome young man dressed in his finest attire.

"Everything is attended to, your highness," Geoffrey replied dutifully, with a respectful bow.

"Ah, good!" The king stopped his pacing. His face into a wide grin, not unlike that of his own daughter. "Thank you so much for all of your help!" His eyes were starting to get misty. "Just the very anticipation of this moment has made it hard for me to concentrate on much of anything lately!"

"Oh, there he goes again!" The Queen entered the room, chuckling to herself. "I'm beside myself with impatience, too, but please be sure to behave yourself, dear!"

"Of course, honey!" The king and queen walked out into the ballroom, hands held tight. A crowd had gathered, all in anticipation of once again seeing their future ruler.

The magnificent grandfather clock that loomed above the spectators struck 6. The wait for the big moment was becoming unbearable as the clock chimed slowly and majestically. 1… 2… 3… 4… 5…

The front door blasted open with what seemed like the force of a battering ram. Behind it was Himelda Window Cure Queen of the Blue Sky, dirty, panting heavily, with messy hair.

"Ah… did you oversleep this morning, Hime?" Hime's father jokingly asked.

"Mother! Father! You're okay!" Hime ran up to her parents standing atop the staircase, and hugged them tightly.

"Or, perhaps, you're not getting enough sleep?" Hime's father gently patted her on the head. "Oh well, welcome home, anyway, honey."

"Are you sure you saw what you say you saw?" Hime's mother asked her.

"Yes! Absolutely!" Hime responded. "There were these hideous creatures, and these weird purple fruit things sprouting out of the trees! Seiji saw them, too, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," Seiji backed Hime up. "I barely got out in one piece!"

"Is that so?" The king of the Blue Sky looked unusually grim for a split second, but soon broke into a wide grin. "Well, for now, the threat is nowhere in sight! Come along, now, Hime! This is supposed to be a happy occasion, so why don't you go out dance?"

"But what if those… those things come here?" Hime asked worriedly.

"Don't worry about that; Geoffrey will make sure that any threat is taken care of," the queen reassured her daughter. "Everything will be all right! Now it seems as though the five of you should go and get changed! Under the circumstances, I understand that any extra clothes you may have brought have been lost. Hime, perhaps you could find something in your old room?"

Megumi put her arm around her friend, "Come on, Hime, you're in good hands under Geoffrey's protection! Let's go have some fun now, okay?"

Hime grinned again as well, "Okay! Come on! I'm sorry that you'll have to settle for dresses that are like, three months old, but they're still good in a retro sense, I guess!" Hime darted out of the guest room into her own, as spirited as ever.

"That's my Hime!" Megumi immediately followed after her, with Yuuko and Iono not far behind.

"Um… so what am I going to wear?" Seiji awkwardly asked.

"Well, I suppose you could settle for some of Geoffrey's spare jackets," the queen responded.

"I see! And just how did you get the cream on this cake to be so perfectly fluffy?" Yuuko was in the kitchen, inquiring about the secrets behind the Blue Sky Kingdom's exquisite cuisine. Meanwhile, Iona was talking with one of the castle guards.

"So how long does training usually take for your position?" Iona asked.

"Well, I was drafted when I turned 17…"

Megumi was sitting on the side, waving her fingers to the music, eyes closed, humming to herself. A year earlier, she would have been on the dance floor with the nearest stranger, but now she was more willing to wait for a specific someone.

"Umm… Seiji?" Hime cautiously approached Seiji by the juice bar.

"Yeah?"

"Errr… I just wanted to thank you. You know. For earlier."

"You mean with those creatures? I didn't do anything!"

"That's not true at all! I was so caught off guard by that first one that I might not have been able to transform had you not intervened!" Hime insisted. "And I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am, for everything."

"Well, you're welcome, Hime." Seiji smiled at her as he finished filling up his second glass.

"I'm not trying to replace Megumi though, just so you know!" Hime's face abruptly broke into a grin again.

"That again!?" Seiji exasperatedly said again. With a content smile, Hime went up to where her parents were standing, her father joking around with Ribbon, Glasan and PhanPhan.

"I see that girl is quite fond of you," a familiar voice said.

"So you're here too, huh?" Seiji turned to face the mysterious man from before, now dressed in a tuxedo. It was a surreal sight to see him dressed normally.

"Do you still have the Sengoku Driver and Lockseed that I gave you earlier?" The man asked.

"Yeah. Geoffrey's taking care of them," Seiji responded.

"Is that so?" The man continued. "Well, tonight will certainly be one worth remembering, then!"

"What?" Seiji raised his eyebrows a bit.

"I hope the best for you, friend!" The man walked on to the dance floor, still wearing his annoyingly pleasant smile.

Seiji just shook his head, before bringing his drinks to where Megumi was sitting.

As the music turned slower, Seiji and Megumi walked on to the dance floor. Hime, Yuuko, and Iona were off at a table of their own, gleefully watching the two. Seiji and Megumi simply smiled at each other, without saying a word, as they danced back and forth to the soothing melody being played.

Suddenly, Seiji felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, Mr. Sagara," a smooth, mellifluous voice said. "Could I see you for a moment?"

"Geoffrey?" Seiji turned around, slightly surprised. "Uh, yeah, sure… You don't mind, do you, Megumi?"

"Of course not!" Megumi said. "Take your time!"

"Excellent. Please follow me then, sir."

Seiji followed Geoffrey up the stairs into the main hallway, and into one of the castle's meeting rooms.

"So… err… is this about me wearing your uniform, or what?" Seiji tried to break the ice.

"I see that you are not through with your lecherous ways, you swine!" Geoffrey's normally rather soft voice suddenly acquired a rough edge to it.

"Wh… what?" Seiji stammered.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Geoffrey's eyes sparked with intensity that Seiji had only seen a few times before. Times he would rather forget.

"You are always going off with those four ladies by your side, with them never even suspecting that you are simply toying with them!"

"H… how did you get that idea?"

"I'm afraid I cannot allow Princess Himelda to be around you any longer. Otherwise she might get hurt." Geoffrey reached into his pocket, and took out Seiji's Sengoku Driver.

"I believe this is yours?"

Seiji's eyes went wide. "You know what that is?"

"Yes, I do." Geoffrey replied icily. "In fact, this was how I had intended to end you earlier today." He then produced another Sengoku Driver.

"You have no idea of the power these Sengoku Drivers possess!" Geoffrey held up the second one that he had. "For instance, they can summon up the Inves, from another world."

Seiji's mouth fell open. "So those monsters from earlier…"

"Yes, they were called forth by me," Geoffrey tossed Seiji's Sengoku Driver and Lockseed to the side. "I was quite surprised to see you here after I had sent them after you and the princess, but now I am going to make sure that you will not hurt her anymore."

"Hurt her? You could've gotten her killed!" Seiji was still looking at Geoffrey with a shocked expression, wondering if this was the head of the Blue Sky Kingdom Guards that he had known previously.

"I knew she would be fine. After all, is she not a Pretty Cure?" Geoffrey stuck his Sengoku Driver onto his waist; it seemed to fuse with his body. Geoffrey then took out another Lockseed, and inserted it into the groove in the Driver.

"_Lock on!"_

"Henshin!" Geoffrey shouted as he pressed down on the switch on his Driver.

"_Passion Arms: Freshly ripened scarlet heart!"_

What looked like an inflated ballon of a passion fruit appeared on Geoffrey's head as a sort of armor materialized on him. The passion fruit folded down onto the armor, and in a flash of light, a masked warrior carrying a appeared where Geoffrey once was.

"Now, prepare to pay for your crimes!" Geoffrey ran up to Seiji, swinging the large broadsword that had materialized along with his warrior garb.

Although Geoffrey was considerably stronger than an ordinary human, the bulky armor he was wearing made him quite a bit slower, and so it wasn't difficult for Seiji to dodge the strikes being sent his way.

"G… Geoffrey! What's gotten into you!?" Seiji asked.

"I've been by the princess' side since she was born!" Geoffrey tried to bring down the weight of his broadsword onto Seiji again, only for the blade to connect with the meeting table instead. "And then she runs off with a wastrel like you!"

"Er… if that's what this is about, a long distance relationship isn't entirely out of the…"

"Don't you try to dump her on me now!" Geoffrey s snarled. "I will obliterate you, along with your whores!"

"…What?" Seiji's eyes narrowed.

"Those three are always hanging around you, fawning over you. It's sickening!" Geoffrey once again attempted to stab Seiji, but he dived to the side and rolled into the corner of the room where his Driver had fallen.

"Especially that pink-haired one! But all of your influences will no longer be felt after today!"

Seiji picked up the Sengoku Driver and the Peach Lockseed.

"You just insulted Megumi. You shouldn't have done that." Seiji repeated Geoffrey's actions from earlier.

"_Lock on!"_

"Henshin!"

"_Peach Arms! Freshly picked pink heart!"_

Within seconds Seiji became another armored warrior, holding an axe. He charged up to Geoffrey and slammed his body into him, knocking him back into the meeting table. Seiji ran up again and repeatedly slashed Geoffrey across the chest, until in a flash of light, the passion fruit-themed warrior turned back into Geoffrey once again. His Passion Lockseed had separated from his Sengoku Driver in the process.

Seiji walked up to Geoffrey and picked up the Passion Lockseed. "I'll be taking this," he said coldly.

"Well, Geoffrey was always a little overzealous," Hime's father said the next day. "But I never imagined he would try to take on one of those creatures on his own!"

"I don't know what got into him yesterday," Seiji said, before turning to Megumi, whispering under his breath, "And frankly, I'm not sure I want to."

"So you really used those things to transform?" Megumi asked softly. As much as Seiji didn't want to hurt Hime or her family, there was no way he would ever lie to Megumi.

"Yeah…"

"I'm sorry, Seiji. I shouldn't have let you go off wihout me."

"Don't worry about it!"

"Shouldn't we stay a little longer?" Hime asked, "There could be more of those creatures out there!"

"There shouldn't be!" Seiji piped up, "Er.. because Geoffrey had done a thorough search of the area and that was the only one he found!"

"He did? That boy never fails to amaze me!" the king cluelessly marveled. "You all could learn a thing or two from him!"

"Yeah, we could learn exactly how not to act," Seiji quipped.

"Don't worry about us, Hime!" Hime's mother reassured her daughter, "We will be fine! You should return to your life in Pikarigaoka!"

"Our guards will more on alert from now on!" Hime's father added. "From the looks of it, we should be able to outnumber them."

"A… alright," Hime reluctantly accepted this.

Another guard came up to the group holding a covered basket. "Some food for your return journey."

Seiji walked up to the guard, "Thank you very…"

Hime walked in between them and grabbed the basket herself. "Don't bother, Seiji! I've got it!"

"Wow! You should be proud, Sagara! You actually managed to make some progress with her behavior!" Ribbon excitedly exclaimed.

"What was that?!" Hime angrily shouted.

Yuko, Iona, PhanPhan and Glasan shook their heads. "The boy's not a miracle worker, though," Yuko said.

Back at Zawame, Micchy was up watching television. Takatora had met up with Hiroko Sagara again, and the next day they were to go to Pikarigaoka to meet with the HappinessCharge Pretty Cure. Hiroko had informed Takatora of their heroics, and Takatora had decided that their presence would be good for morale.

"I'm the presenter for Precure Weekly, Masuko Miyo! Short for 'mass communication'!" the TV blared. "And right now, a new threat has been seen terrorizing the city of Pikarigaoka! Where are the HappinessCharge Pretty Cure during all of this? Where could they have gone to?"

"Typical," Micchy muttered. "They're never there when you need them."

The news report switched to a sight of the monster attacking people in the city. Micchy's eyes went wide. He had seen this monster before.

"I can't believe it!" He excalimed. "Y… Yuya?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_**Kamen Rider Gaim**_** and **_**HappinessCharge Pretty Cure!**_**, and all associated characters are both owned by Toei.**

"Absolutely not! You are not going with me!" Takatora Kureshima was quite surprised at the suggestion that his little brother had just run by him.

"I thought you would say that," Micchy responded, "So I've made a point to scratch that off the list of answers I'll take. I won't budge until you agree to let me go to Pikarigaoka with you and Ms. Sagara."

"What do you hope to accomplish while there?" Takatora demanded.

Micchy clenched his fist. "Listen," he began, "I saw it on the news last night. An Inves was there, brother! There's something going on in that city, and I may be the only one who can do something about it!"

Takatora paused for a moment. Finally he sighed, and looked as though he was already regretting what he was about to say. "Fine," he relented, "You may go with us. But if you disappoint me again, you will never see the light of day again!"

Micchy's fist clenched even tighter. Even he wasn't sure how he would fare against his brother's expectations. But there was no turning back now.

As Takatora turned around to leave, he said one last thing. "You know, Mitsuzane, I really hate it when you remind me of myself."

* * *

Sometime in the early afternoon, Seiji, Megumi, Hime, Yuko, Iona, and their fairy companions emerged from the hallway of mirrors at Hime's mansion. On the way, the group had found the stuff that they had initially brought for the journey, relatively unscathed. This, of course, meant that Seiji was back on oversized bag carrying duty.

"And she didn't even show the clothes to anyone, anyway!" Seiji muttered under his breath as they emerged.

The group all sat themselves down in Hime's living room, tired from the previous journey. After a few minutes of restful silence, Iona broke the ice.

"So, do any of you still have homework to finish?"

Megumi's face fell after hearing this. "Er… why don't we go to Yu-yu's place to get lunch?" she blurted out.

"Y-yes! I completely agree!" Hime immediately added. The two instantly got up out of their seats, their previous sluggishness nowhere to be seen. Both ran for the front door, only for Hime to be grabbed by the sleeve by Iona.

"You guys didn't start, did you?" Iona demanded, giving her usual death glare.

Hime gulped.

Megumi grabbed Hime's other arm, frantically shouting now. "We can do it tonight! With you and Seiji, it should be a breeze, right?"

After a pause, Iona let go of Hime's hand. "Fine, we can go out into town," she relented. Hime and Megumi breathed a sigh of relief.

"But be prepared to work extra hard tonight!" Iona said icily. Hime and Megumi gulped again.

* * *

"The problem is that no one really knows who these girls are," Hiroko started, "But I think that if we talk to the staff at _Pretty Cure Weekly_, they could announce your desire to meet them on television, and I'm sure they would respond."

"I see," Takatora mused, "And why do these girls bother with keeping their identities secret? Do they not trust the people of this town?" He briefly glared at Micchy as he said this. Micchy looked away, not saying a word.

"Well, the HappinessCharge Pretty Cure have to be pretty busy, just like anybody else," Hiroko replied, "They deserve to have personal lives too, don't they?"

"You can never be too sure exactly what kids people do in their spare time." Takatora once again motioned at Micchy.

_All right, I get the point!_ Micchy thought to himself, as he continued to stare down.

Hiroko stared briefly at the two brothers before replying, "Oh, you can decide on their trustworthiness when you get down to meeting them! Oh, Seiji! You're here, too!"

Seiji, Megumi, and the rest of the girls had just entered Omori Lunches as well. PhanPhan was with them as well, in his red-haired human form.

"Hi, Mom!" Seiji greeted his frequently absent mother, "You're back already?"

"Yes, dear," Hiroko responded, "I'm discussing things with my clients right now."

She turned to the Kureshima brothers. "Let me introduce you to my son, Seiji! He's a bright kid; I think you'll like him!"

"Aw, Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Seiji smiled. Micchy and Takatora turned towards him, and politely nodded, otherwise not changing their blank expressions at all.

"What brings you here, Seiji?" Hiroko asked.

"Megumi didn't want to do her homework." Seiji felt a slight jab in his ribs from Megumi's elbow.

"I see," Hiroko said nonchalantly.

"Ah! Yuko! Genzo! You're all back!" Takeo Omori, Yuko's father, called from the kitchen of Omori Lunches. Genzo was what PhanPhan was referred to as in his human form.

"Yes, Dad! We're here to treat our friends to lunch!" Yuko excitedly shouted.

"You're just in time; we were just about to start on our special for Mrs. Sagara and her clients! We could use your help." Yoko, Yuko's mother, sounded from the kitchen as well.

"Of course, mother," Yuko turned to PhanPhan, "So how about it, Genzo? Are you ready to prepare some Omori Specials?"

"Anything for you, Yuko," PhanPhan replied rather stoically.

As Yuko and PhanPhan sped off into the kitchen to prepare lunch, Megumi took a seat across from the Kureshima brothers.

"So what brings you here to Pikarigaoka?" she asked.

"We're here to see the HappinessCharge Pretty Cure to see if we can negotiate a possible public appearance in Zawame City as a morale booster," Takatora replied in his usual matter-of-fact tone.

"Oh! We wouldn't m…" Megumi caught herself just in time thanks to a return elbow jab from Seiji, "Er… I mean, I'm sure they, whoever they are, wouldn't mind making a public appearance if it will make people happy!"

"Really? It seems they'd rather be admired in public than stop monsters from harming he innocent," Micchy finally spoke up.

"Mitsuzane…" Takatora raised his eyebrows a little.

"Wh… what do you mean?" Megumi's smile started to falter.

"It was on the news last night. An attack by a green monster! And no one was there to help," Micchy started to sound more angry with every word.

"Th… that's…" Megumi's voice started to falter.

"That's enough, Mitsuzane!" Takatora rose from his chair.

Micchy sat back down, clearly trying with all his might to regain his composure.

"I apologize for that, girls," Takatora said, "My brother has been through quite an ordeal recently. We all have."

"Y… Yes, of course. I'm sorry…," Megumi stammered, still distraught.

"Don't be, Megumi. You don't have to apologize," Seiji stood walked over to where Micchy was.

"Apologize to her, now!" Seiji slammed his hand on the table while he said this.

"Seiji…" Megumi put her hands on her childhood friend's shoulders.

"Lunch is ready, everyone!" Yuko and PhanPhan emerged from the kitchen, both carrying boxes of food, "Why the long faces?"

Everyone just looked down, their day having just gotten considerably worse.

* * *

"Megumi, there was no way you could have known," Seiji tried to console Megumi, who was just picking at her food.

"Yeah! And besides, it's my fault that we even left to begin with!" Hime added.

"Alas, this is just one of those occurrences when coincidence didn't work out the way we would have liked," Yuko said, "That's no reason to get down! During times like these, a full meal will help you get back on your feet!"

Megumi stared some more, before finally taking a bite out of her chicken. "Delicious!" She exclaimed, smiling once more, "You guys are right! I can't let something like this deter me!"

Seiji, satisfied with Megumi's recovery, looked toward the other side of the room to where Micchy was sitting alone, also not eating, like Megumi a few moments earlier.

"I must apologize again for my brother's behavior," Takatora said, "He's not like you, Miss Aino; it takes him a while to recover from these sorts of things."

"We understand, Mr. Kureshima," Iona nodded at Takatora, who returned the gesture.

"I am glad that you, Miss Hikawa. Too many youths today don't have faith anymore," Takatora started, "Of them all, there was one I met whose resolve could overcome any obstacle. He was a truly remarkable young man."

Micchy finally got up after hearing this, and promptly walked out the door.

"Where are you going now, Mitsuzane?" Takatora demanded.

"I'm wasting my time here," Micchy answered bitterly as he left.

* * *

"He just had to hit a sore spot," Micchy mused as he walked into the town, looking at the happy citizens.

_It's because of me that Zawame isn't like this_. _I couldn't protect it,_ Micchy thought to himself.

"Hello there, young man! I haven't seen you around here! Are you visiting?" A woman who looked remarkably like Megumi Aino was walking past Micchy, holding a bag of groceries.

"I'm here on a business trip with my brother," Micchy explained, "We are here with Hiroko Sagara. Do you know her?"

"Oh! You and your brother are Hiroko's clients?!" the woman excitedly asked, "Hiroko is my best friend! Our children, Megumi, Seiji, and Mao are very close, too! Have you met them?"

Micchy nodded. He decided in that moment not to tell Megumi's mother about what had just transpired.

"I'm Kaori, by the way Kaori Aino. It's so nice to meet you!" the woman introduced herself.

"Mitsuzane Kureshima," Micchy replied.

"What brings you out here, Mitsuzane?" Kaori asked, "Are you and your brother done with your business?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"You seem troubled, Mitsuzane. Is everything okay?" Kaori's smile suddenly changed from one of innocent bliss to one of motherly concern.

Micchy was surprised at the question.

"Yes," he said.

"Don't lie to me, now! I may not look it, but I know when someone is having a rough time," Kaori insisted.

"I… feel like I have failed someone," Micchy finally confessed.

"Let me guess, your brother?"

"Actually, I have failed several people. In fact, more than that. I don't even know who I am anymore!" Tears started forming in Micchy's eyes, a decidedly rare event.

"I know how you feel," Kaori wiped her hand across Micchy's eyes, "When I first got sick shortly after my daughter was born, it felt like the end of the world to me."

"You're sick!?" Micchy was quite startled by this revelation.

"Yes. I couldn't get out of bed for months when it first happened! My husband and Hiroko had to put their work on hold because of me! I felt so guilty I just wanted to be sent to a nursing home or something! But my husband and best friend never gave up on me, and gradually I got better, in time to raise Megumi into a fine young lady," Kaori finished her story, "Your friends and family are always there for you when you need them most, Mitsuzane. I'm sure whatever problems you are having with your brother, he is only concerned for you."

"…Yeah…" Micchy pondered Kaori's words. He then forced a weak smile at her.

"By the way, my friends always thought 'Mitsuzane' was too inconvenient to pronounce, so I'm known to them as 'Micchy'."

"Well then, Micchy, I hope you and your brother make up soon. Remember that there is nothing you could have done that is worse than giving up."

* * *

"I think Mr. Kureshima was a really nice man," Iona said as they walked of Omori Lunches.

"Oh?" Hime's mischievous grin surfaced again, "I didn't know you liked older men, Iona!"

"What?!" Iona's face started turning red.

"Hime…" Seiji was cut off by the voice of a screaming woman in the distance.

"What?" Seiji said.

"Is that…" Megumi followed up.

The four girls looked at each other, nodded, and held up their PreChan Mirrors, before transforming once again into Japan's young heroines, the HappinessCharge Pretty Cure.

* * *

Somewhere within a busy district of Pikarigaoka, the green monster seen on television the previous night was walking out in the open again.

The woman who was just screaming got back up on her feet and scurried away, just as the four magical girl warriors flew in between the monster and the civilians.

"All right, girls! Let's show this monster that we're back in business!" Cure Lovely declared loudly.

However, just as the Pretty Cure were about to start up their initial kick, another familiar figure stepped up between them.

"Wait!" Micchy stretched out his arms, shielding the monster from the oncoming onslaught.

"Mitsuzane?!" Hime exclaimed in surprise.

"Mitsuzane, what are you doing?!" Takatora asked as he ran up to the scene, with Seiji not far behind.

"Whatever happens, I won't let any of you attack this monster!" Micchy shouted.

"Do you hear what you're saying?!" Seiji shouted back.

"If you won't listen to me, then I'll have to resort to this!" Micchy pulled out his Sengoku Driver and Grape Lockseed. Within seconds, the figure of Armored Rider Ryugen had replaced the teenager that was protecting the monster terrorizing the populace.

"Mitsuzane…" Takatora's face changed for the first time, to one of shock and terror.

Seiji walked up to the armored figure. "If that's the way you want it, then so be it," he promptly transformed using his recently-acquired Passion Lockseed.

"Sagara too?" Iona gasped.

"Let me handle Mitsuzane! You girls take the monster!" Seiji commanded.

"I don't want this any more than you do!" Ryugen held up his gun, "But a dear friend of mine is in danger. And I am not giving up on him!"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_**Kamen Rider Gaim**_** and **_**HappinessCharge Pretty Cure!**_** are both owned by Toei.**

Ryugen fired his gun at Seiji, who began to wave his broadsword around, somewhat clumsily knocking aside a few of his shots, but taking most of them. After a few moments of this, Seiji instead rolled across the ground to avoid Ryugen's shots, before coming up to a run, sprinting towards Ryugen, sword raised to strike. Ryugen held up his hands to try and lessen the impact, but found himself falling backward, having to roll as well to get out of the way.

The HappinessCharge Pretty Cure could only watch in stunned silence. Megumi, who was the only one who had known beforehand about Seiji's new power, turned to the others.

"Alright, girls! Let's take care of that monster, then!"

The four proceeded to angle their legs into their group kick formation, only to find that the only sight remaining on the ground was Seiji and Micchy, weapons tossed aside and abandoned, in a tight grapple.

"What? Where did it go?!" Hime shouted.

Hearing this, Micchy tossed Seiji to the side, turning back into a teenage boy in the process. Seiji transformed back to normal as well, but still wound up his fist to punch Micchy in the face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Seiji asked, "Are you insane?!"

"I…" Micchy started.

"That monster got away because of you!" Iona, now back in civilian form along with her fellow Pretty Cure, joined Seiji in berating Micchy.

"What do you have to say for yourself?!" Hime chipped in as well.

"I'm sorry about having to resort to that. I really am," Micchy replied, "But I have things that I need to protect, too. And I think it's best that you don't get involved."

"Things you need to protect?" Megumi inquired.

"Please do not concern yourselves with this matter. No one else needs to be involved," Micchy insisted.

"But why? Sagara has the same power that you have! We can help you!" Iona offered.

Micchy's eyes narrowed. "Very few people are worthy of such power," he stated icily, "I'm afraid I can't accept help from you, Sagara."

"Did you get your belt from that man? With the sunglasses on his head and the Hawaiian clothing?" Seiji asked.

Unbeknownst to Seiji, he had just hit another sore spot for Micchy. It took considerable restraint to keep his voice sounding as calm as he answered, "It was given to me. By someone very important."

"Mitsuzane." Takatora had crept up to the conversation, "Is that what you came here for? Why didn't you tell me that there was an Inves?"

"I didn't think you would let me…"

"You're damn right I wouldn't have let you!" Takatora raised his voice, "All I've ever asked of you is for you to behave yourself and be a worthy successor to the Kureshima family business! And yet you still go around playing with your toys!"

"I'm sorry, brother. I can't sit by while my friend needs me." Micchy responded.

"What do you mean by your friend?" Megumi asked, "Don't tell me…"

"That Inves was once a good friend of mine, Yuya Sumii," Micchy explained, "And I'm going to make sure that he is back the way he was."

"Is that all? With our powers we could…" Hime began.

"No! I don't want anyone else involved, and that's final!" Micchy moved his eyes towards Takatora as if to say, "_Especially you!"_

"Mitsuzane, please listen…" Takatora urged.

"I can't let more people get involved than is necessary," Micchy continued, "Kouta wouldn't have."

"But you're not Kazuraba," Takatora answered.

"I'm wasting my time again," Micchy said again, "I have some things to take care of."

As he was about to leave the scene, Micchy turned back to face the group.

"By the way, call me 'Micchy' from now on. My real name is too inconvenient."

And with that, Micchy walked off.

"Mitsuzane…" Takatora said.

"I didn't know about Yuya. I'm sorry," Megumi said.

"I didn't either," Takatora stated.

"What?!" Megumi gasped.

"I never even knew Mitsuzane had a friend named Yuya Sumi. I didn't know many things about him." Takatora looked more downcast at this.

"Didn't he ever tell you?" Megumi asked.

"No, he didn't. I never asked. I never really got to know him."

"I know how you feel, Mr. Kureshima," Iona stepped up to put a hand on Takatora's shoulder, "It took me a while to open up to my friends as well."

Takatora continued staring down for a bit, then lightly brushed off Iona's hand off his shoulder, "So, you girls were the HappinessCharge Pretty Cure. I'm afraid I have to delay my original plans of having you visit Zawame."

"That's alright, Mr. Kureshima. We'll help Micchy with his friend, even if he doesn't want us to!" Megumi reassured Takatora.

Takatora's face went back to its usual professional self, "I just want to make sure, do your parents know about your identities?"

"Huh? Why do you want to know that?" Megumi asked.

"I see. So they know nothing," Takatora sighed, "I expected as much."

He sighed, "I suppose I will have to act as your supervisor of sorts, then."

As Hime, Yuko, and Iona started conversing with Takatora about the Phantom Empire Invasion and their role in ending it, Megumi talked to Seiji in private.

"Seiji, what came over you over there?" she asked her childhood friend.

Seiji just looked down.

"I'm sorry, it's just, he..."

"I know what he said earlier!" Megumi told Seiji in an uncharacteristically stern tone, "I'm over that now, so please don't make a scene like that again, okay?"

"Yes. I'll do better next time," Seiji said quietly.

"Thank you, Seiji," Megumi put her hands on Seiji's shoulders and sighed in relief.

"I see. If your power could purify this Red fellow, then perhaps saving Mitsuzane's friend will seem like a cakewalk to you," Takatora had just heard about Megumi's Forever Lovely form that she had unleashed a while back. He was facing Megumi now.

"I only hope so; I can't bear to see anyone unhappy!" Megumi exclaimed.

"To a complete stranger, too, one who had upset her just half an hour earlier," Takatora mused to himself, "I really have underestimated the power of youth."

* * *

The green Byakko Inves stumbled into a remote alleyway, exhausted from the commotion earlier. It sat behind a large dumpster, content that no one could see it. The Inves grabbed its head, shaking around as though in the deepest agony. For a brief moment, the Inves suddenly seemed to implode on itself, before turning into a young man. However, this form only lasted a split second. The anguished screaming, however, remained constant.

Takatora heard the screaming. His ears perked up, as did his eyes.

"No," he said, "It can't be!"

"What is it?" Iona asked.

Takatora just ran off toward to the sound without saying a word.

"Wait!" Megumi and the girls followed. Seiji hesitated a bit, but did not fall far behind.

* * *

Micchy had also heard the piercing scream. He, too, was shocked.

"No way!" He muttered to himself.

He also ran toward the source of the sound that he had to confirm that he had just heard.

In the alleyway where the Byakko Inves was agonizing, Micchy, Takatora, Seiji and the girls arrived at nearly the exact same time.

* * *

"Brother, did you hear it too?" Micchy asked.

"Yes, I did," Takatora responded, "That's…"

"…Kouta…" Micchy said.

"…Kazuraba…" Takatora added.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_**Kamen Rider Gaim**_** and **_**HappinessCharge Pretty Cure!**_** are both owned by Toei.**

Kouta's eyes opened to the sight of a familiar-looking figure, along with six others he didn't know surrounding him. There were three plush dolls in the room as well. He took a few seconds to get his eyes to adjust, before re-evaluating his surroundings. He was in bed in an apartment, one that he had never been in before.

"So you're awake?" asked a light brown-haired girl with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Wh… who are you people?" he stammered out, before quickly turning to his friend Micchy, "Micchy, who are they?"

Before Micchy could say anything, Takatora leaned forward.

"Kazuraba, what happened? Why are you here? Why were you an Inves?"

Kouta was confused, "Micchy, who is this guy? What happened?"

Micchy and Takatora looked at each other.

"Don't you remember, Kouta? This is my brother, Takatora," Micchy answered.

_Does he have amnesia?_ Micchy thought to himself.

"You have a brother? How come you've never mentioned him?"

Micchy and Takatora looked at each other again.

"Who are they?" Kouta gestured to the surrounding kids, who appeared to be slightly younger than Micchy was.

"I'm Megumi Aino. Pleased to meet you!" Megumi held out her hand for Kouta to shake, smiling at him brightly.

Kouta just looked at her oddly, before cautiously taking her outstretched palm and lightly lowering up and down.

"These are my friends, Hime Shirayuki, Yuko Omori, Iona Hikawa, and Seiji Sagara. And I suppose you know Micchy already. You must be Kouta! Welcome to my room!" Megumi continued.

Kouta nodded. Suddenly he tuned to Micchy, and grabbed him by the collar.

"Miccy! It was horrible!" he exclaimed, "It felt like I wasn't myself! And Yuya, he…"

Micchy put his hands on Kouta's shoulders as well.

"Hold on! Yuya's alive?!" he asked.

Kouta seemed to be somewhat taken aback.

"Yeah, of course he is!" he replied, "In fact, he's…"

"I'm home!" Megumi's mother's voice drifted into the room, "We're having your favorite, cream stew!"

Kaori walked into Megumi's room.

"Oh? Everyone is here? Micchy! What a pleasant surprise!"

Kaori's eyes turned to Kouta on Megumi's bed. Her eyes widened somewhat, "Is that a friend you were talking about earlier, Micchy?"

"One of them," Micchy uttered under his breath.

Kaori extended her hand just like Megumi, whose hand was still outstretched.

"It is nice to meet you, sir! What is your name?"

"…it's Kouta…" he shook both hands at once.

"Well, Kouta, any friend of Micchy's is a friend of mine as well. You be sure to get some rest now!" Kaori left the room into the kitchen.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Micchy swooped back down to Kouta.

"Where's Yuya? I need to know!"

Kouta grabbed Micchy's collar again.

"He's after me, Micchy! Everyone's after me! Including…" Kouta got another good look around at the people surrounding him. His eyes widened a little.

"Oh, don't worry; we won't hurt you," Yuko said.

"We just want to know what's going on," Iona added.

Kouta looked down at the sheets.

"I don't know!" he exclaimed, "I was just taking a walk, when suddenly everyone started running away from me! I looked down and saw that I had changed into that… that thing…"

"Where were you when that happened?" Micchy continued to ask.

"Just at the park… waiting for Mai…"

Micchy cringed a little at the mention of that name. Yuko seemed to smile to herself at this, with no one else noticing.

"Alright, Kouta. Just get some rest now," Micchy said gently as he stood up and left the room. Hime couldn't help but notice his eyes were a little moist.

Takatora was still not done with Kouta.

"Kazuraba, do you really not remember me?" he asked.

"N… no. Should I?" Kouta stammered.

Takatora shook his head.

"I'm afraid he's lost more than his memory of me," he looked around at the girls, "He's lost himself, too."

* * *

"So, Micchy, did everything go alright?" Kaori, who was in the kitchen, making her daughter's favorite dish. Micchy was there, sipping some tea that she had prepared some indeterminate time ago.

"Miss Aino, are Megumi and Seiji…" he started to ask.

"Oh, them?" Kaori poured some more salt on the food, "Well, they've been close ever since they were children. Sometimes I think they've glued themselves together."

"I see…" Micchy took a big sip from his tea cup.

"Do you have anyone like that, Micchy?"

"Yeah…"

"Did something happen between you? Is it about what you mentioned earlier?"

Micchy smiled a little.

"How is it that you can read me so perfectly?" he asled.

"Well, Megumi is much easier, but Seiji always provided some good practice," Kaori chuckled to herself.

Micchy laughed.

"That's much better!" Kaori said elatedly, "That's the first time I've seen you laugh, Micchy!"

In fact, that was the first time Micchy had laughed in months, but he kept that part to himself.

"Micchy! Are you okay now?" Megumi and the others entered the kitchen, Megumi as cheerful as ever.

"Yes, I'm… I'm fine."

"Well, now that everyone is here, it's time to eat!" Kaori announced.

"Did make enough for all of our guests?" Megumi asked.

"Of course I did, dear."

Takatora looked at Micchy for a moment. The two brothers shared an extended gaze before Micchy finally nodded and joined the others. He seemed to take extra care in sitting next to Seiji.

"May I speak with you?" Micchy asked Seiji as food was being distributed.

Seiji nodded.

"Er, sorry about before. You know, for that…"

"It's fine," Micchy insisted, "And besides, that's kind of what I wanted to talk about."

"What is it?" Seiji asked.

"I know that Megumi is a very important person to you…"

"…yeah…"

"It seems that you'd do anything to protect her."

"…sure…"

"If you're serious about that, please promise me that you won't go overboard."

"What do you mean?"

"It's good that you want to protect someone," Micchy said, "But look out a little for yourself, too. I know Megumi feels the same that you do for her. Don't you dare hurt her by neglecting yourself."

"Oh, are you speaking from experience, Micchy?" another voice on the other side of Micchy asked.

Micchy turned to find the curious face of Hime Shirayuki staring intently into his eyes.

"Hime?" Micchy blinked a few times.

"Was it that Mai person that Kouta mentioned? What did you do? Did you two make up? Where is she now? Did she dump you for Kouta or something?" Hime asked.

The last question in particular made Micchy practically jump out of his seat.

"She was a good friend! And nothing more than that!"

Technically this was true, though deep down Micchy wished that it wasn't.

Seiji started chuckling to himself, which soon gave away to genuine laughter.

"What's so funny?" Micchy started reverting back to his stoic self.

"Even the stoic Micchy is a total softie in Hime Shirayuki's company," Seiji joked, still covering his mouth, "There's really no one she can't reach!"

"Hey! Seiji, that's so mean!" Hime scrunched her face up in an over-the-top pouty expression.

"Although I think I understand why self-neglect would be tempting," Micchy joked.

Seiji laughed again. Micchy grinned alongside him.

"Jeez!" Hime whined again.

Micchy turned to her.

"Mai was my friend," he explained, "But we had a bit of a… falling out recently."

Hime's face turned back into her previous intensely curious expression, "Tell me more! Tell me more!"

"Well, I… did some bad things… and she's gone now. Or at least I thought she was," Micchy looked over at Megumi's room, where Kouta was still resting.

Hime wrapped her hands around Micchy's.

"You don't have to tell me now," she said, "I've done some bad things, too, and I know what it's like to not want to say these things."

"You, too?" Micchy looked up at Hime's uncharacteristically serious face.

"Just tell me when you're ready, okay? But you'd better be ready at some point!"

Micchy blinked a few times.

"Alright. When I'm ready, you'll be the second person to know."

"That's the spirit! Hey!" Hime's face became pouty again, "What do you mean second? Who's the first?"

"I see, so you're the representative from Zawame City that Hiroko was meeting with," Kaori said to Takatora.

"Yes. Mitsuzane and I came here to discuss staging a morale-boosting stunt with the HappinessCharge Pretty Cure," Takatora explained, while looking out of the corner of his eye at Megumi, chatting away with Yuko and Iona, "But they seem to be quite elusive."

"Oh, yes! Those girls! No one really knows who they are, but I'm sure they would be happy to see how far this town has come since the invasion of the Phantom Kingdom."

"I wonder, what if Kazuraba were still back at Zawame… the real Kazuraba," Takatora said to himself as he looked towards Megumi's room.

* * *

Back at Hime's currently unoccupied mansion, a figure who had never been there (and most certainly would never have been welcome) was present. Specifically, he was in the mirror room.

"I see… this is an interesting development," he said, bemused by what he was witnessing.

For surrounding the mirror leading into the Blue Sky Kingdom was a tangled bunch of vines that had never been seen in Pikarigaoka. And embedded on these vines were the unmistakable shapes of the fruits of Helheim Forest.


End file.
